“Yes,” Daniel said. “She’s gone for good.”
Ryan hesitated before whispering something else.
“She said if I told you… you wouldn’t believe me.”
Daniel closed his eyes in pain.
“I will always believe you,” he said firmly.
Just then, the sound of heels echoed from the front hall.
“Hello! I’m home!” a cheerful voice called out. “Ryan, sweetheart, where are you?”
It was Daniel’s sister, Melissa—the aunt who had helped care for Ryan since the boy’s mother passed away.
She walked into the garden carrying shopping bags, but the moment she saw the scene—Daniel kneeling with Ryan and the ropes scattered across the lawn—her smile vanished.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “What happened?”
Daniel looked at her carefully. Something in her expression—something beyond shock—made his stomach tighten.
“You recommended Laura,” he said slowly.
Melissa nodded nervously. “Yes, but I had no idea—”
“Ryan said this happened before,” Daniel interrupted.
Melissa’s face went pale.
“When his mother’s music box broke.”
For a brief second, panic flashed across her eyes.
“Did you know?” Daniel asked quietly.
Melissa burst into tears.
“It was only once,” she sobbed. “Laura said she lost her temper. I believed her.”